How To Stop Drinking Every Night

August 6, 2020

How To Stop Drinking Every Night

set a target to stop drinking alcohol every night

Are you drinking alcohol every night, and looking at ways of reducing your intake?

Read about ways to stop drinking every night

If you are reading this, then there is a good chance that you are at least concerned about your levels of drinking. You are already asking how to stop drinking alcohol every night, right?

Drinking every night is quite common and is a habit that can often easily be ‘just something that you do’. If you are concerned that you are on itevery night, or just consuming too much alcohol in general then read on and we will talk in more detail about your drinking levels, and practical ways of how to stop drinking alcohol every night.

break the habit of drinking every night

How much alcohol per day is safe for you?

In terms of ‘physical safety’ – the recommended (NHS Alcohol Intake Advice Website) amount for safe drinking is no more than 14  units per week regularly, or 1 drink for women and two for men (American Centers for Disease and Prevention)This is based on spreading the units over a week.

It would not be advised to ‘save up’ your recommended 14 units and just drink that in one night.  This is seen as binge drinking and can do serious physical harm,

When we are discussing your mental health – there really is not a ‘safe’ limit for daily drinking. Drinking every night is putting alcohol into your body, even in small amounts, affects your mood, thought process, reactions and overall attitude towards life in general. 

Is it OK to drink every night?

In the short term,  there is minimal risk to your physical health 9to consume alcohol daily –In very small amounts (a glass of wine or beer).  This would be VERY small amounts of alcohol – when you consider that the recommended units of alcohol intake is now 16 units. So every night? Breaking that down would be 2/2 units of alcohol per day/night.

But the true bottom line is that you should be asking yourself why? Why would you feel the need to drink every night?  Do you believe that it helps you relax, or lower stress?

Drinkaware has shown that this simply is not true.0

If you are drinking every night of the week – by very definintion that alcohol is an addictive substance, the addiction will increase and so will the levels of alcohol intake.

Peopel often refer to this as a the ‘slippery slope’, and for good reason.

Is drinking every night bad for you?

Should drinking alcohol every night ring alarm bells?  In short, yes. 

Drinking occasionally does not pose a health risk for most people that decide to do this. But when drinking every night becomes part of your daily ritual, then it often flags up that your alcohol intake is actually increasing

This may creep up on you, but over time the addiction of alcohol leads you to drink more than you previously did.   Drinking alcohol every night increases physical health risks, and also can have major effects on your mental state.

Is drinking every night a sign that I have a problem with drinking, or does this make me an alcoholic?

This is not a black and white question and answer.  And it is often hard to spot a problem with alcohol, certainly within yourself. Some signs could include

  • Drinking more than others around you, often more than most people you know
  • Finding yourself becoming upset or getting into arguments with friends and family more.
  • Being concerned that you don’t have enough alcohol for the day/night
  • Justifying buying alcohol to those around you.

I believe that if you are asking yourself if you have a problem with drinking, then the answer is usually ‘yes. Does it make you an alcoholic? I am not so sure that there even needs to be such a label, well such a need that should make you sit up and listen. If you were told that ‘yes, you are an alcoholic’ – or if you are told ‘no, you are not’ – should it matter? If you believe that you have a problem with alcohol, then you need to address it.

Drinking alcohol every night alone is not a sure-fire way to decide if you are an alcoholic or not. But, if you are asking ‘how do I stop drinking alcohol every night’ – then I think you have already answered your own question about if you have a problem with drinking or not, right?

Learning How To Stop Drinking every night – Reduce Your Booze Intake

This is often a pattern that we simply ‘find ourselves’ in. Let’s learn how to break that pattern.

Alcohol is a very addictive drug, and drinking regularly at the weekend, then occasionally during the week can easily lead to more and more.
If you are in the habit of drinking every night, then there are some simple ways that you can break the habit. Try some of these suggestions to help you stop drinking alcohol every night of the week.

Set a drinking target

setting a target to stop drinking every night would give you focus

The fact that you are considering changing your pattern to drinking less is a great frame of mind to be in.

Setting yourself goals like having an alcohol-free night is great – so set your goals and make them clear for yourself. And be proud when you achieve your goal. Hitting targets can have amazing psychological effects on improving yourself and gaining confidence. Get your goal clear in your mind, and you are well on your way to being stronger in all aspects of your life.

Write down what you are drinking – an often overseen strong tool to aid how to stop drinking every night.

Actually writing down what you are drinking every night would give you a clear indication of your alcohol levels

Often when seeing what you drink, written down, it hits home to the actual amount of alcohol you are drinking. Make the effort and document it somewhere, maybe on your phone or even on a notepad.

Look back at the end of the week and see exactly how much alcohol you are drinking. Often, these figures alone can be a great motivation to reduce your alcohol intake.

Make some days ‘alcohol free’

Make a conscious effort at the beginning of the week. Choose the specific days that you will not consume alcohol, and that decision is final. Commit to yourself for a healthier life, a healthier mind and body. Having that decision made already for you will help you to not have it in your head to swing by the pub or off-license to purchase your tipple of choice.

Try a non-alcoholic alternative drink in a bid to stop drinking every night.

Non-alcoholic drinks can help with stopping drinking every night.

Often, drinking alcohol can be purely psychological. Consider trying a non-alcohol beer, wine or whatever your drink of choice is.
Having this option can keep the pangs of desire to drink alcohol at bay. And there are so many options on the market these days that you will be spoiled for choice !

We have talked about some great alternatives to alcohol – but the choices out there are amazing nowadays 🙂

Don’t keep alcohol in your home.

Keeping alcohol in your home can be a make or break situation for helping you to stop drinking alcohol every night. Think about it – it is much easier to pour yourself a drink if it is actually there in your house.

By not keeping alcohol in your house, you are putting an extra barrier in place. If you have to actually leave your home to buy alcohol, you will be less-inclined to drink at the drop of a hat.

Purchase alcohol only when you are drinking, and only enough for that day/night. The next day you will be less tempted to go and buy more. It will add another small barrier to drinking the next day.

Learn how to relax.

learn how to relax without alcohol

Relaxation and feeling better overall is one of the biggest bonuses you will find on your road to ditching the drink. Often people struggle initially with relaxing, certainly in the early days of alcohol reduction.

Rather than alcohol being your only choice of relaxation, the only ‘go-to’ option for you to unwind – give yourself other options. Meditation or relaxation is utilised to aid relaxation when trying to stop drinking every night. But if this is not for you then pick up an old (or new!) hobby and spend time doing this instead of consuming alcohol.

If you do consume drinks with alcohol in every day or night, then rather than looking at ways to stop it might be quite daunting. By putting plans in place, ideas to do instead of drinking, will already give you a foot up on what you need to do to reduce your alcohol intake.

Remember, once you have learned how to not drink every night, this is a great way to progress to more and more days alcohol free.

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The Alcohol Off Switch

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2 Comments

    • Alan Peter

      Written by me, I would not hire a writer for such a personal subject.

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